One of the greatest hunting adventures in North America will sease in 2017, but there’s still time to experience a migrating caribou hunt in Northern Quebec if you make plans now. During the 1980’s and 90’s a caribou hunt in Northern Quebec was one of the most affordable of big game hunts with sportsmen able to use bow or rifle and take two caribou bulls. Hunters could choose from fully guide camps with comfortable lodging, semi-guided fly-in tent camps in the wilderness, or on-your-own hunts where only a cook was provided. Additionally, the hunting season ran from mid August through late September which meant that hunters could experience the adventure of this big game challenge and not forfeit their favorite seasons back home.
Grand Hunting Adventure
The Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was a hub of booking activity in those days and one outfitter offered a trade deal in which I would shoot photography for his next brochure in exchange for two days of hunting. This was before digital photography and quality images were expensive to obtain. I flew from Washington DC to Montreal, into the bush by charter aircraft and then to camp by small plane. The lodge was fully guided, very comfortable, and modestly successful. Four days into the hunt, the outfitter flew me to a second do-it-yourself camp for photography and a chance to hunt. I arrived to a camp of great joy as thousands of migrating caribou had passed through camp and everyone was tagged out. My Friend Michel Leblanc and I hunted the afternoon of arrival, saw the tail end of the migration, yet counted on the next day to get serious.
Change of Plans
Unfortunately, that evening word came from the outfitter that a plane would pick me up the next morning at 10:00 and fly me out. Whaaat??? The next morning we were in the mountain at first light and spotted two bulls headed our way. Michel and I attempted the 1-2-3 shooting scenario, yet he got confused and watched my bull fall on “3” and couldn’t get a shot at the second animal. Elated at our quick success, we were even more excited to see the guys from camp show up and volunteer to cut up and pack the caribou back to camp. Since I also had packed my bow to the ridge top, I headed out hoping to fill the second tag. Within an hour I spotted a small herd with a good bull at the end, made an intercepting stalk and double-lunged it at 35 yards with my Golden Eagle bow, Easton aluminum arrows, and Titan broadhead. After a few quick pictures, I was able to bone out the caribou and pack it back to meet the plane. Ironically, my flight from Quebec was redirected to Philadelphia because a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. Luckily, I landed in mid morning, September 11, 2001.
Here’s the Last Call
It was announced today that the Quebec Government has decided to close the Leaf River Herd to all sport hunting after the end of the 2017 hunting season. Since the George River Herd closed to all hunting a few years ago following a decline from 750,000 animals to fewer than 10,000 caribou during the last census, this is likely the last opportunity to hunt for and harvest a Quebec-Labrador sub-species caribou bull in our lifetimes.
This closure comes despite a census that there are still close to 200,000 animals in the Leaf River Herd. While down from approximately 650,000 animals at its peak the herd has plenty of animals to support a sport hunt and this last year we experienced a world class caribou hunt which was filmed for The Adventure Series and will air on Outdoor Channel in January 2017.
